PatsFans.com Menu
PatsFans.com - The Hub For New England Patriots Fans
PatsFans.com - The Hub For New England Patriots Fans

I suspect that 12 positions are truly up for grabs.

VERY LIKELY TO MAKE THE 53 (41)

OFFENSE (20)
QB (2) Maye, DiVito
RB (3) Stevenson, Henderson, Gilliam
TE (3) Henry, Hill, Raridon
WR (4) Doubs, Hollins, Boutte, Williams
OT (4) Campbell, Moses, Lomu, Crownover
IOL (4) AVT, Onwenu, Wilson, Brown

DEFENSE (17)
DT (3) Williams, Barmore, Durden
EDGE (4) Jones, Landry, Jacas, Ponder
ILB (3) Spillane, Elliss, Britt
CB (4) Gonzalez, Davis, Jones, Woods
S (3) Byard, Woodson, Pettus

SPECIAL TEAMS (4)

I would add Farmer to the DT list. Keep in mind, the Pats carried 5 DT fall year and DT was the most common position elevated from the PS. They'll have Gregory Taylor, Pharms and Blay fighting for 1 spot.

I would remove Britt and Woods from the "very likely to make the team" as they're both facing stiff competition.

LBs:
Obiazor, Muma, Reese, Gainer, Jacobs, Luketa

CB:
Vildor, Prunty, Dial, Minor, Canada, Harris, Crossley

The Pats had Muma, Reese, and Gainer on the Roster/PS last year and still added Obiazor, Jacobs, Britt and Luketa. The Pats had Woods, Minor with Dial on the IR yet still added Vildor, Prunty, Canada, Harris and brought back Crossley whom they drafted last year and who spent time on the PS.

The Pats have 6 guys behind Spillane and Ellis fighting for 2 roster spots and another 1-2 PS spots.
The Pats have 7 guys behind Gonzalez, Davis and Jones who are fighting for 2 roster spots and PS spots.

I think that the competition is going to be wide open for those 4 roster spots and the 2-4 PS spots.

Something to keep in mind. Of the LBs, I don't know of any one of them that has worn the Green Dot during their careers other than Spillane. That will be something to watch during TC. If anyone has info on Obiazor or Jacobs, that would be appreciative.
 
Disagree that the following are locks
Crownover, Ponder, Pettus, Woods, Hollins

And Farmer is a lock.

While I agree with you on Farmer, I disagree with you on Ponder, Pettus, Crownover and Hollins. They're locks.
 
Ponder still has a lot to prove. Inside track to a spot maybe but I don’t see lock
Crownover also has an inside track, but 6th round picks who suck in camp aren’t making the team, so he has a lot of work to do.
Hollins is 33 and wont have a role with Brown, Boutte and Doubs. There is a reason he’s been on 4 trans in 4 years.
Ponder is a Lock. You thinking otherwise is just foolishness.
Crownover is a lock. Just like Marcus Cannon was a lock.

Hollins is not 33 yet. You'd have a point about 4 teams in 4 years if he'd been cut from ANY of those teams. You also ignore the fact that Hollins was a binky for McDaniels in Vegas. Which is why he was brought to the Pats. Not to mention that Hollins has had 50+ targets in 3 of the 4 stops. The only one he didn't was Atlanta. Where he wasn't used properly.

Hollins more than proved himself last year and showed no signs of slowing down and his contract is team friendly.
 
VERY LIKELY TO MAKE THE 53 (41)

OFFENSE (20)
QB (2) Maye, DiVito
RB (3) Stevenson, Henderson, Gilliam
TE (3) Henry, Hill, Raridon
WR (4) Doubs, Hollins, Boutte, Williams
OT (4) Campbell, Moses, Lomu, Crownover
IOL (4) AVT, Onwenu, Wilson, Brown

DEFENSE (17)
DT (3) Williams, Barmore, Durden
EDGE (4) Jones, Landry, Jacas, Ponder
ILB (3) Spillane, Elliss, Britt
CB (4) Gonzalez, Davis, Jones, Woods
S (3) Byard, Woodson, Pettus

SPECIAL TEAMS (4)
I could see the special teams coach pounding the table to keep Del Pettus.

They could trade Boutte or even Hollins to a contender if they see a roster squeeze at WR after preseason.

Crownover has to beat out Marcus Bryant, it’s not just going to be handed to him.

Durden is a nice story, but they could cut him and he’d probably still make it to their practice squad.

Britt is not a lock, we have UDFA’s who got roughly as much guaranteed money as he did.

They wouldn’t have brought in what, 4-6 new CB prospects this offseason if they thought highly of Woods. They need to improve the speed and athleticism behind the top three.
 
Top 5 positions up for grabs are:

RB: Henderson really should be the main guy. Rham did a fine job in the playoffs doing the dirty work, but he's not a chuck play guy. Also, his paranoia of fumbling has resulting in him playing just to protect the ball rather than making plays.
WR: Assuming no AJ Brown trade, Doubs is the favorite as the lead guy. However, Kyle Williams has the opportunity to leapfrog the inconstant Boutte who gives you a big play then calls it a day.
C: Wilson is by no means a lock to be the starter (nor should he be). Ben Brown will have his shot to beat out "Reggie Ray" Wilson.
RT: Moses is old and didn't play well in 2025. Lomu will have every chance to win the job. At worst, Lomu is going to rotate in.
Edge: Posters are lying if they claim they've heard of Jones prior to him signing in NE. If not, bring the receipts. Jacas is in the same position as Keion White. He will have his shot to beat out Jones or get significant playing time due to Landry's health.
 
Maye is the only lock at QB at this moment.
 
Top 5 positions up for grabs are:

RB: Henderson really should be the main guy. Rham did a fine job in the playoffs doing the dirty work, but he's not a chuck play guy. Also, his paranoia of fumbling has resulting in him playing just to protect the ball rather than making plays.
WR: Assuming no AJ Brown trade, Doubs is the favorite as the lead guy. However, Kyle Williams has the opportunity to leapfrog the inconstant Boutte who gives you a big play then calls it a day.
C: Wilson is by no means a lock to be the starter (nor should he be). Ben Brown will have his shot to beat out "Reggie Ray" Wilson.
RT: Moses is old and didn't play well in 2025. Lomu will have every chance to win the job. At worst, Lomu is going to rotate in.
Edge: Posters are lying if they claim they've heard of Jones prior to him signing in NE. If not, bring the receipts. Jacas is in the same position as Keion White. He will have his shot to beat out Jones or get significant playing time due to Landry's health.
Yeah...ahhhh .
 
While I agree with you on Farmer, I disagree with you on Ponder, Pettus, Crownover and Hollins. They're locks.
We disagree. Backups and late round picks need to earn their job every year.
 
Ponder is a Lock. You thinking otherwise is just foolishness.
Crownover is a lock. Just like Marcus Cannon was a lock.

Hollins is not 33 yet. You'd have a point about 4 teams in 4 years if he'd been cut from ANY of those teams. You also ignore the fact that Hollins was a binky for McDaniels in Vegas. Which is why he was brought to the Pats. Not to mention that Hollins has had 50+ targets in 3 of the 4 stops. The only one he didn't was Atlanta. Where he wasn't used properly.

Hollins more than proved himself last year and showed no signs of slowing down and his contract is team friendly.
UDFAs who play 215 snaps mostly due to injury need to prove themselves all over again. He has an inside track but he is not a lock. If he digresses he could easily be released.
Crownover must earn his spot. Cannon was drafted as an injured player who was likely to miss his rookie year and still drafted higher. Crownover will end up in the practice squad if Bryant beats him out, which is certainly possible.

Hollins is 33 in Sept. McDaniels chose to not bring him back for a year 2 in Vegas, so not much of a binky.
Brown, Boutte and Doubs will be 1,2,3. They won’t hold back Williams for a 33 year old. Do you keep a 33 year old who won’t play in the roster over youth? Very decent chance he is cut.
 
Top 5 positions up for grabs are:

RB: Henderson really should be the main guy. Rham did a fine job in the playoffs doing the dirty work, but he's not a chuck play guy. Also, his paranoia of fumbling has resulting in him playing just to protect the ball rather than making plays.
WR: Assuming no AJ Brown trade, Doubs is the favorite as the lead guy. However, Kyle Williams has the opportunity to leapfrog the inconstant Boutte who gives you a big play then calls it a day.
C: Wilson is by no means a lock to be the starter (nor should he be). Ben Brown will have his shot to beat out "Reggie Ray" Wilson.
RT: Moses is old and didn't play well in 2025. Lomu will have every chance to win the job. At worst, Lomu is going to rotate in.
Edge: Posters are lying if they claim they've heard of Jones prior to him signing in NE. If not, bring the receipts. Jacas is in the same position as Keion White. He will have his shot to beat out Jones or get significant playing time due to Landry's health.
Are you seriously telling me that you think football fans don’t know who a guy is who has played 100 games and 4300 snaps in the nfl?
There was a good amount of discussion here last year when we played against him and when he was traded, many wanted us to trade for him.
Most fans here pay more attention to the league than you apparently do.
 
Disagree that the following are locks
Crownover, Ponder, Pettus, Woods, Hollins

And Farmer is a lock.
I gotta be honest. Crownover was a good dart throw but I am not sure he offers anything more than Bryant
 
Top 5 positions up for grabs are:

RB: Henderson really should be the main guy. Rham did a fine job in the playoffs doing the dirty work, but he's not a chuck play guy. Also, his paranoia of fumbling has resulting in him playing just to protect the ball rather than making plays.
WR: Assuming no AJ Brown trade, Doubs is the favorite as the lead guy. However, Kyle Williams has the opportunity to leapfrog the inconstant Boutte who gives you a big play then calls it a day.
C: Wilson is by no means a lock to be the starter (nor should he be). Ben Brown will have his shot to beat out "Reggie Ray" Wilson.
RT: Moses is old and didn't play well in 2025. Lomu will have every chance to win the job. At worst, Lomu is going to rotate in.
Edge: Posters are lying if they claim they've heard of Jones prior to him signing in NE. If not, bring the receipts. Jacas is in the same position as Keion White. He will have his shot to beat out Jones or get significant playing time due to Landry's health.

Most fans on here aren't ignoramuses such as yourself. Lots of people had talked about Dre'Mont Jones as a potential trade target for the Pats. So, this idea that people are lying if they claim otherwise is you being stupid.. Go look in the Trade thread. Or look in the thread talking about Free Agency Targets... Stop being lazy.

This BS you have that RB is "up for grabs" shows just how big of a noob you are. RB will be BY COMMITTEE.. Since you weren't paying attention, Henderson disappeared by the end of the season and Stevenson was carrying the load.

During the Play-offs:
Henderson had 83 snaps over 4 play-off games . 36 run snaps with 30 attempts for 76 yards. Henderson saw 47 additional pass play snaps resulting in 6 receptions for 33 yards.

Stevenson had 184 snaps over 4 play-off games. 71 rushing snaps with 58 attempts for 217 yards. Stevenson saw an additional 113 pass play snaps resulting in 15 targets and 12 receptions for 126 yards.

So, you'll forgive everyone for NOT believing that Henderson shouldn't be the main guy. Contrary to YOU, Stevenson stepped up. This BS that Stevenson plays just to protect the ball shows your ignorance of the game in general. It shows that you don't care about winning. .Just about SHINY..

WTF is "Inconstant"? Do you mean inconsistent? How do you blame Boutte for McDaniels Play-calling? How do you blame Boutte for the inconsistent O-line play last year?

While I have my own reservations about Wilson at center, it speaks volumes that the Pats jettisoned Bradbury and haven't signed someone to be behind Wilson/Brown. In fact, the Pats currently don't have a 3rd Center on the Roster. They have multiple players vying to back-up at guard in Wallace, Butler, Rizy and Rupcich, but none of them play Center. That tells me that the Starting job is his to lose.
 
I could see the special teams coach pounding the table to keep Del Pettus.
probably.

He also probably pounded the table for core STer's
Prunty
Vildor
Britt
Obiazor
Hutchins. and
Muma
 
RT: Moses is old and didn't play well in 2025. Lomu will have every chance to win the job. At worst, Lomu is going to rotate in.
In regards to Moses. He actually played well for turning 34 during the season. Yes, he gave up 1 sack, 5 QB Hits, and 23 hurries.. Do you even know where that ranked amongst RTs last year? Yeah.. I bet you'll go look it up before you actually answer.. That ranked him 30th in total pressures amongst both LT and RT that had more than 581 total offensive snaps last year. There were 16 RT and 13 LTs ahead of him. However, of the 16 RT, 9 of them had at least 100 fewer Pass Protection snaps than Moses.

Morgan Moses - Pats - 1032 total snaps, 621 pass protection snaps - 1 sack, 5 QB hits, 23 hurries (1 pressure every 21.4 pass pro snaps)

Warren McClenden - Rams - 667 total snaps ,408 pass protection snaps - 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 10 hurries (1 press every 34 pass pro snaps)
Larry Borom - Phins -664, total snaps 404 pass protection snaps - 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 10 Hurries (1 pressure every 26.3 pass pro snaps)
Zach Tom - Packers - 604 total snaps, 351 pass protection snaps - 0 sacks, 1 QB Hit, 15 Hurries (1 press every 21.9 pass pro snaps)
Fred Johnson - Eagles - 626 total snaps, 348 pass protection snaps - 2 sacks, 0 QB hits, 16 hurries (1 press every 19.3 pass pro snaps)
Jawaan Taylor - Chiefs - 760 total snaps, 517 pass protection snaps - 3 sacks, 5 QB hits, 12 hurries (1 press every 25.9 pass pro snaps)
Brian O'Neill - Vikings - 734 Total Snaps, 446 pass protection snaps - 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, 18 hurries (1 press every 21.2 pass pro snaps)
Taylor Moton - Panthers - 901 total snaps, 558 pass pro snaps - 3 sacks, 4 QB hits, 15 hurries (1 press every 25.4 pass pro snaps)
Luke Goedeke - Bucs - 676 total snaps, 416 pass protection snaps - 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, 22 hurries (1 press every 18.9 pass pro snaps)
Braden Smith - Colts - 766 total snaps, 471 pass protection snaps - 1 sack, 6 QB hits, 19 Hurries (1 press every 18.11 pass pro snaps)
Trey Pipkens - Bolts - 606 total Snaps, 376 pass protection snaps - 4 sacks 3 QB hits, 20 hurries (1 press every 13.9 pass pro snaps)
Roger Rosengarten - Ravens - 1014 total snaps, 536 pass pro snaps - 3 sacks, 4 QB hits, 21 hurries ( 1 press every 19.1 pass pro snaps)
Taliese Fuaga - Saints - 814 total snaps, 530 pass protection snaps - 4 sacks, 5 QB hits, 19 hurries (1 press every 18.9 pass pro snaps)

The starting RTs who had similar snaps to Moses but performed better:
Eleumenor - Giants - 1088 total snaps, 638 pass pro snaps - 4 sacks, 3 QB hits, 12 Hurries (1 press every 33.6 pass pro snaps)
Darnell Wright - Bears - 1074 total snaps, 638 pass pro snaps - 3 sacks, 3 QB hits, 13 hurries (1 press every 33.6 pass pro snaps)
Penei Sewell - Lions - 998 total snaps, 601 pass pro snaps - 2 sacks, 6 QB hits, 11 hurries (1 press every 31.6 pass pro snaps)
Troy Fautanu - Steelers - 1031 total snaps, 634 pass pro snaps - 2 sacks, 4 QB hits, 19 hurries (1 press every 25.4 pass pro snaps)

That means that Moses was ranked 10th in terms of snaps per pressure.. Out of 32 teams. Definitely not saying he was All-Pro. Not even close. But he was better than 68.8% of the other RTs in the league.
 
probably.

He also probably pounded the table for core STer's
Prunty - Needs to earn a spot
Vildor - Needs to earn a spot
Britt - Needs to earn a spot
Obiazor - Needs to earn a spot
Hutchins.- Needs to earn a spot
Muma- Needs to earn a spot
FIFY.

How can players who are brand new to the team be "Core Special teamers"? Even MUMA wont make the team if he can't show that he can offer something defensively.
 
Was gonna say that I’d be shocked if they cut Prunty with being a 5th rounder. But they did cut Swinson last year, so who knows
He's one who is going to want to show some speed on special teams - hopefully both as a gunner and maybe compete for KR duties.

He's one many think they reached for, projected as a UDFA by many, but he's one of a few pickups that have 4.4-4.5 speed

Prutny is another one of those 24 year old seniors, so might be someone they think has a high floor even if it's a low ceiling.
 
I gotta be honest. Crownover was a good dart throw but I am not sure he offers anything more than Bryant
We hope, but many 6th rounders end up useless.
 
MORSE: Clearing the Notebook from the Patriots Draft
What Does An Early Look At The Patriots’ 53-Man Roster Prediction Look Like?
MORSE: Final Patriots Draft Analysis
Patriots News 04-26, Meet The Patriots’ 2026 Draft Class
MORSE: Patriots Day Three of NFL Draft, UDFA Signings
Patriots Grab A Big Offensive Tackle in Round Six On Saturday
Patriots Take a CB With Their First Pick on Day 3
Wolf Cites ‘Untapped Potential’ After Patriots Select Notre Dame Tight End Raridon
Patriots Trade-Up Landed Them a Defensive Menace in Jacas
TRANSCRIPT: Eliot Wolf Night Two Press Conference 4/24
Back
Top